World War II Wiki:Unsorted Information
This page is for the purpose of keeping unsorted information and unused pictures. Unsorted information is information that is not sufficient enough to make an article, however, when an article is being created, one can consult this list for extra information. __ForceTOC__ M37 Demolition Kit Summary:The M37 Demolition Kit was a type of satchel charge used by the United States during WWII. It contained eight blocks of high explosive and was wraped in a canvas bag with a shoulder strap. MP 38 The MP38 was a German submachine gun that saw large use on both the Eastern and Western front. It was almost identical to the MP40. Although it had a tendency to fire when the trigger wasn't pulled or when it fell on the ground, it was liked by many Germans and was prized by Allied soldiers who managed to capture one. It could be fitted with a silencer and dual mags. It used a 32 round box magazine. Focke Wulf Fw 190 - Other Users Turkey In the middle of 1942 the RLM issued an export order for FW 190s to be sent to Turkey. Turkey received 72 FW 190 Aa-3 (a for auslandisch - foreign) aircraft between October 1942 and March 1943. The first FW 190 Aa-3 was built in August 1942. The FW 190 Aa-3 received its own Werk Nummer block, 0134 101 - 0134 172 (although it is not known if W.Nr 110, 123, 146 and 148 were handed over). These aircraft were basically FW 190 A-3s, with BMW 801 D-2 engines, and FuG VIIa radios. However, they did not have FuG 25 radios, and had an armament fit of four MG 17s, with the option of installing two MG FF/M cannon in the outer wing position. The Turkish FW 190s served as fighters during their time in service, and left the Turkish Air Force in 1948 and 1949. Basic camouflage scheme for these aircraft was RLM 70/71, with RLM 65 undersides. There is speculation that RLM 76 or RLM 02 light mottling was used on the tail and fuselage sides of FW 190 Aa-3s. Other sources state that RLM 74/75/76 was the standard camouflage scheme for the FW 190Aa-3. Around 1945, some of these aircraft were painted in overall dark green. Four Turkish squadrons flew the FW 190 Aa-3, including the 5th Regiment's 3rd and 5th Squadrons. The four Squadrons were nicknamed Akbas (Whitehead), Sarýbas (Blondehead), Albas (Redhead) and Karabas (Blackhead), with their propeller spinners matching colours with their nicknames.Rodeike, Focke-Wulf Jagdflugzeug - Fw 190A, Fw 190 "Dora", Ta 152H, p.58; Ozgur, Emails 2001 'France' In the immediate post-war period, the French Armee de l'Air operated FW 190 fighters (French designation NC.900). 65 FW 190s were built in 1945 and 1946 by the Société Nationale de Construction Aéronautiques du Centre (S.N.C.A.C) at Cravant. Between 600 and 900 people worked at Cravant, and the facility was also known as camp 918. Cravant had been a Luftwaffe repair facility, and 127 FW 190 fuselages and 162 wings of FW 190 A-4s, A-5s, and A-8s were captured there by the Allies in October 1944. About 100 BMW 801s were found at Dordogne, and the French planned to assemble 125, under the designation AACr-6, or NC.900. The first NC.900 was flown on 1 March 1945, but there were many problems with the new aircraft. Sabotaged airframe parts and the use of hastily recycled metals meant many aircraft were of poor quality. Armee de l'Air FW 190s only saw service for a few years, before more modern fighters were acquired. The principal operator of the NC.900 was GC 111/5 Normandie Niemen, which received just fourteen NC.900s. They flew with the unit for 18 months. A majority of the remaining 51 NC.900s were used by the CEV (centre d'essais en vol) at Brétigny. The final flight by a French NC.900 was on 22 June 1949.NA AIR 40/1887; Lowe, Email 3 July 2002; Filley, FW 190A, F, and G in Action, p.32; CJE, 'NC.900', posted on Luftwaffe Discussion Group; J. Gasset, Email 9 August 2004 'Hungary' Hungary operated around 70 FW 190 F-8s during the late-war period. These aircraft served with the 102. Vadászbombázó. The first 16 FW 190 F-8s were delivered on 8 November 1944, and the unit entered combat on 16 November, under the command of Captain Gyözö Lévay. The unit would successfully operate the type until the final days of the war.Punka, Hungarian Air Force, p.17 'Romania' The Aeronautica Regal Romana captured 22 FW 190s in August 1944 during the anti-Axis rebellion. Some of the aircraft were probably from III./S.G.10, based at Focsani-Süd (note a painted over III.Gruppe bar in a photo of one of these Rumanian FW 190 F-8s). These aircraft received the yellow, blue and red Rumanian markings. Nine of the FW 190s were made serviceable, but were then confiscated by the Russians. The Rumanians had declared war on Germany on 25 August 1944, and had captured some German FW 190s. Early on the next morning, one of the new Rumanian FW 190s was actually claimed destroyed by Uffz. Schatermann of the 3./Transportgeschwader 5, about 40 km north-west of Bucharest. This was possibly case of the Luftwaffe claiming an enemy FW 190 destroyed during World War II.Lalak, Sojusznicy Luftwaffe via F. Grabowski; Filley, FW 190A, F, and G in Action, p.49; Film C.2025/I 'Japan' A single FW 190 A-5 was supplied to Japan for evaluation in 1943. Although the type was not put into production by the Japanese, it received the Allied code-name 'Fred'.Filley, FW 190A, F, and G in Action, Squadron/Signal Publications, Carrollton, 1999. p.16 'Poland' An FW 190 was probably used in the immediate aftermath of World War II to train ground-crew of the Polish People's Air Force at Miroslawiec airfield. Polish red-white checkerboards were applied in place of German markings. 'Soviet Union' A number of Focke-Wulf 190s were captured by the Soviets 'Yugoslavia' Towards the end of 1944, Yugoslavian partisans captured FW 190 F-8 W.Nr 930 638 'White 43 + ' of I./S.G. 2. It had the camouflage scheme of RLM 70/75/76, and carried the yellow chevron wing marking. It was put into Yugoslavian service in 1945, serving until 1946. In Yugoslavian service it was repainted, and became 'White 11'. After being retired, the aircraft was repainted in German colours, and remains of it are still in existence today, and can be found in the basement of the Air Force Museum at Surcin, Belgrade, Serbia.Sebastijan, Email 5 March 2003 Supermarine Spitfire Variants Model XXX Shortly after D-Day, a Spitfire Mk Vc was modified under this designation to transport two barrels of beer across the English Channel. The 18 gallon barrels were provided by Sussex Brewers Henty and Constable, and carried under the wings by modified bomb racks, supplemented by a modified drop tank carried under the fuselage.McKinstry, Leo. Page 370 Floatplanes The idea of equipping Spitfire aircraft with floats was first considered in response to the Norwegian campaign of 1940. A single Spitfire Mk I was adapted to take floats similar to those fitted to the third Blackburn Roc, and was known as the Type 342, Page 380|group="N"}} but not completed before the end of the Norwegian campaign. In 1942 the idea was revived, and Supermarine designed a set of floats with 90 percent buoyancy for the Spitfire Mk V. The floats were built and fitted by Folland Aircraft, and were attached to the wing spars some five feet from the centre-line using cantilever struts. The modified aircraft was tested as the Type 355, with one of the three examples built being flown in the Mediterranean area. in 1943 Folland fitted a set of floats to a Mk IX aircraft, which became the Type 385. All four aircraft had additional fin area, including an under fin to counteract destabilisation caused by the floats. Page 136 The Air Ministry later requested submission of a proposal for a float variant of the F.21 Super Spitfire, but interest never progressed beyond the specification stage. Supermarine's involvement in Spitfire floatplanes was limited to design and specification work, with the actual conversions being carried out by Follands. Morgan, Eric B and Edward Shacklady. Page 386 Speed Spitfire In the late 1930s, as tension between Britain and Germany increased, the arms race in the air took on a literal form. At an international ﬂying meeting in Zurich in July 1937, the Germans boasted that a highly modiﬁed Me 109, winner of the Circuit des Alpes, was now the fastest ﬁghter in the world, capable of reaching 379 mph. The Air Ministry was unwilling to let this claim go unchallenged and Supermarine, working with Rolls-Royce, were instructed to build a special high-speed version of the Spitﬁre, which could break the world speed record for a land plane. The plane that the company came up with had a number of changes compared to the Mark I production Spitﬁre, including a reduced wing area, an absence of gun mountings and radio ﬁttings, a streamlined skid instead of a tailwheel, a new windscreen, a four-bladed propeller, and a highly polished ﬁnish. Above all, the aircraft had an adapted Merlin engine, based on the type used in the last Schneider Trophy winner and capable of 2,000 horsepower. It was not until November I938 that the racing Spitfire was ﬁnally ready, by which time the Germans had extended their lead, as in June a Heinkel 100 had established a new record of 394 mph. However, Supermarine had not given up entirely and, in February 1939. the Speed Spitﬁre N.17 took off from Eastleigh and reached 408 mph. But more work was needed if a genuine challenge was to be mounted. Pages 128-129 This led to the radiator being replaced with a water tank and condenser fitted in early 1940, in place of the upper fuel tank. However, any lingering hopes were extinguished in March by the news from Germany that an He 100 had attained the breathtaking speed of 463 mph, smashing not only the world land plane speed record but also the absolute world speed record, until then held by the Italian Macchi MC 72 seaplane at 440 mph. There was no chance that even the most streamlined and altered Spitﬁre of 1939 could go at anything like that pace. page 79 This record, which was falsely attributed to a Bf 109R (A non existent sporting version of the Bf 109), Page 49 stood for thirty years until it was beaten in 1969 by a Grumman Bearcat ﬂying at 482 mph.|group="N"}} Exchanging it's N.17 record attempt identity for it's original serial number of K9834, the Speed Spitfire was converted to 'standard' condition, with a normal windscreen, three bladed Rotol propeller, Merlin XII engine and conventional radiator and oil cooler. Delivered to the RAF's Photo Reconnaissance Unit in November 1940, the aircraft was soon fitted with an oblique F.24 camera, but as the upper fuel tank had not been restored, the aircraft's range was reduced, limiting it's usefulness in the reconnaissance role. After further use as a unit 'hack' and communication aircraft,Caygill, Peter - Spitfire page 77 as well as being flown over the Normandy beach head on D-Day by Air Commodore Bootham as his personal aircraft, K9834 was eventually struck of charge on 14 June 1946.Morgan, Eric B and Edward Shacklady. Page 67 Notes References IS Series IS-beginnings The IS-series of tanks were created when the shortcomings of the KV-series became obvious, mainly the fact that there was no clear superiority over the medium T-34 tank. It began with a redesign of the KV-1 to fit a larger turret, thus a larger gun, also thicker armour was looked into as an option. Soon Object 237. which itself an evolution of the planned KV-13, was accepted as the IS-85. First deliveries were made in October of 1943 and went immediately into service. Production was ended in 1944. It's designation was simplified to IS-1 when the IS-122 was entered into service, which later was lightly modified and redesignated IS-2, for security purposes. There were also upgunned IS-1s armed with 100mm guns. IS-series in action IS-2 The IS-2 first saw combat in 1944. It's role in combat was as a breakthrough tank, the support of assaulting infantry, using there large guns to eliminate hostile targets, such as bunkers and occupied buildings, as well as dug-in emplacements, such as MG nests and pak guns. They were quite capable of eliminating hostile AFVs if required. Once the breakthrough had been achieved, faster, lighter T-34s would role through the broken line to advance. The JS-2 saw little combat with the Chinese late in the Korean War. IS-3 The IS-3 was introduced extremely late in the war and saw little combat, likely on the Seelow Heights and in The Battle of Berlin. It's role was to simply replace the IS-2 in service. It was first seen by Western observers during the Allied Victory Parade and was a rather formidable sight, causing the other post-war allies, mainly the British, to begin designing and fielding heavy tanks of their own. During the early 50's it was modernized into the IS-3M and about 100 saw combat with the Egyptian army during the Six Day War, fighting American made M-48A2 and A3s. Other IS tanks IS-4 1944 design in competition with IS-3. Longer hull and thicker armour then IS-2. About 250 built post war. IS-6 Prototype experiment, not deemed enough of an improvement to warrant production. IS-7 1946 prototype, only three built. IS-7 model 48' had a weight of 74 (Light) tons and a 130mm S-70 gun. It was the largest tank to be produced by Soviet Russia. Despite this, crews claimed it to be easy to drive and the loaders claimed that the space was comfortable and the auto loader was easy to use. It's armour was not just proved immune to the Jagdtiger's 128mm L/55 Pak 44, but was also proven against its own S-70 gun rounds. Due to the changing design need of tanks, the Main Battle Tank role, it never reached production. IS-8/IS-10/T-10 The IS-8/IS-10 was the final development of the KV/IS-series. It was accepted into service in 52' as the IS-10, but due to the de-Stalinization of the Soviet Union, it was later renamed the T-10. The main changes in the T-10 from the IS-3 it replaced, was a longer hull, seven instead of six pairs of road wheels, a larger turret, mounting a new gun with fume extractor and increased armour. General performance was similar, though the T-10 could carry more rounds. Demise of the IS-series. The entire IS-series performed the same roles throughout there service history, breakthrough. When the T-64 was introduced in 1966, it replaced the T-10 in front line service. By this time Soviet armored warfare doctrine considered the heavy tank design to be obsolete. It was replaced by tanks such as the T-62 and the T-64, a role today filled by the T-90 MBT in the Russian Federation. German Half-Track Production during WWII Throughout the war, Germany had developed numerous different types of half tracks used for various different purposes. Below are the production values for these vehicles. Half Tracks were crucial to the German Wehrmacht's advance through Europe. They served in a number of roles and were usually reliable, something that was not common on the battlefield. Furthermore, their combat effectiveness and ability to increase the effectiveness of units like tank divisions and infantry made them a standard part of the Wehrmacht. Half-Tracks in German doctrine were designed ideally to support infantry and make sure that they were able to keep up with advancing panzer divisions, though the reality was that oftentimes the half-tracks simply were not made in the quantities needed for effective mechanization of infantry. (Production values are estimates). German Vehicle Production During WWII, Germany had amassed a huge amount of armored vehicles and support units to assist in its conquests. These include vehicles ranging from half tracks to tanks. (Production Values are estimated) Trucks and Cars Since trucks and other transport vehicles are key to any army's logistics and supply lines, it comes as no surprise that some of the most produced German vehicles were trucks. The most famous of these was the Opel Blitz model S with production values exceeding into the tens of thousands. Armored Cars and Half Tracks Armored Cars and Half Tracks were both crucial to the German Wehrmacht's advance through Europe. They served in a number of roles and were usually reliable, something that was not common on the battlefield. Furthermore, their combat effectiveness and ability to increase the effectiveness of units like tank divisions and infantry made them a standard part of the Wehrmacht. Self Propelled Guns As fully prepared tanks weren't always available for service and certain roles weren't really suited for tanks, Germany developed a wide array of self-propelled guns. There performed roles of reconnaissance, tank killing, mobile artillery, etc. Since they were much cheaper to produce, they were sometimes more common on the battlefield than actual tanks. German self-propelled guns too followed this basic principle and although many designs were submitted and most followed the basic guidelines, not all proved to be successful in combat. For example, just the fact that some required constant maintenance meant that they were doomed to be abandoned by their crews. Photographs